This is a new monthly publication by and for the communities coalescing around Evergreen open source library automation software. See the end of the newsletter for how to submit for the December issue of the Evergreen Newsletter.

Upcoming Webinars: By late November, expect another webinar on 1.4 — either a broad overview, or a focus on interesting features such as the in-database circulation rules. Ask for more webinars on the Evergreen discussion lists!

The first release candidate for Evergreen 1.4 became available October 17, 2008. By the time you read this newsletter, 1.4rc1 may have been preempted by 1.4rc2 (the second release candidate). The Evergreen download page should point you to the latest version.

Some of the highlights of 1.4 include a multi-target Z39.50 client built into the staff client, in-database circulation rules, web self-check (actually available in 1.2.3.1), courtesy reminder notices, and some work to speed up billing.

We shook a few bugs out of the first release — that’s what testing is for! — so all but the most curious may want to wait a few days for 1.4rc2. We can’t say enough in favor of testing;Â developers and community members test so that fewer may suffer.

The technically-facile are encouraged to download the code and install away. The rest of us can download the staff client, point it at the development server, and walk through typical tasks (registering patrons, paying fines, etc.) plus play with Vandelay (the importer-exporter), noodle around with the multi-target Z39.50 client, etc. Share your thoughts through the Evergreen mailing lists.

The community-contributed tutorials page includes a link to a recording of the October 30 webinar for Vandelay. Over 50 members of the Evergreen community met online to see the record importer-exporter featured in 1.4. The discussion was lively, Vandelay was well received, and more feedback for Vandelay followed on the discussion lists (particularly for supporting large numbers of targets).

Equinox Software recorded the session and Robert Soullier of Mohawk College did the post-recording video editing. Bravo Robert!

Acquisitions: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Acquisitions has seen steady progress. For the remainder of 2008, development for acquisitions will slow down due to other development deadlines. But we have dates in 2009 staring us in the face, and we certainly hear everyone loud and clear when they tell us acquisitions is essential, so we will pick up speed again in early 2009.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation, the Evergreen project has four contract documentation writers working on these topics: reports; Vandelay; cataloging; and acquisitions. (See, we’re far enough along with ACQ to begin documenting it!) The writers are working apace and the drafts are looking good. Drop Karen, Equinox Community Librarian a line if you’d like to see drafts in progress; we won’t post any live until we’re farther along in the writing process.

We are considering moving to DocBook for the “formal” documentation. If you have experience with DocBook, comment on or off one of the Evergreen lists.

Evergreen at Access

See this Evergreen Blog post for a round-up of all things Evergreen at the terrific Access 2008 conference. (At right is James Fournier of SITKA at the Evergreen Birds of a Feather.)

Evergreen Mailing Lists Now Archived By Markmail

Thanks to suggestions from Evergreen community members, the Evergreen general, development, and documentation lists are now archived by Markmail, for easy searching and browsing and an attractive interface.

New Evergreen Libraries: Welcome Aboard!

Below are the newest Evergreen libraries — the Evergreen installations known to have taken place in October, 2008. If you’d like to follow along as libraries join the Evergreen community, you can subscribe to the Equinox press release feed, which will announce most known Evergreen implementations. The Equinox press release feed was recently tweaked to make it easier to track and share the releases.

The deadline for the Evergreen newsletter is the last working day before the first of the month… feel free to submit items earlier. The co-wranglers for this newsletter are Karen Schneider, Equinox Community Librarian and John Fink, Digital Technologies Development librarian at McMaster University.

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One thought on “Evergreen Newsletter, November 2008”

Above it says the Vandelay webinar is posted but I don’t see a link. Can you put links to that Webinar and to the Acquisitions one somewhere? It is difficult to refer people to them and only have a blog to link to. Can you put them on an Equinox or Evergreen page somewhere and let us link to those? They are quite useful. Frances McNamara University of Chicago